Hepatitis C decisions — 2007

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the knees and higher ratings for his hepatitis C conditions. The arthritis claim was denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking a current knee disorder to military service. For his hepatitis C conditions, he received a separate rating for post-transplant symptoms but still requested higher ratings.

The VA determined that there is no evidence to support a connection between the veteran's hepatitis C and his service, including any potential blood transfusion during military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, skin rash (claimed as secondary to Agent Orange exposure), and diabetes mellitus. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service or Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that they do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C was filed on January 27, 1998. The Board has now granted an effective date of January 27, 1998 for the award of service connection for hepatitis C.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis B and C, as well as an acquired psychiatric disability. The veteran's hepatitis was found to be related to drug abuse during service, while his psychiatric issues were attributed to a personality disorder from service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis C with hepatosplenomegaly is not related to active service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including chronic fatigue, pain and depression, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, and hepatitis C. The decision also addressed issues related to reopening previously denied claims and assigned a rating of zero percent for hepatitis.

Throughout the rating period, the veteran's PTSD has been productive of symptoms including poor sleep, depression, irritability, intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and hyperstartle. His overall functioning was characterized by occasional suicidal ideation and no inappropriate behavior or impaired impulse control.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a left hand injury and hepatitis C, finding that the veteran's conditions were not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The veteran's appeal involves the initial rating for Hepatitis C and seeking to restore service connection. The case was remanded by the Board in April 2005, but no hearing has been scheduled. This decision orders a new hearing before the Board.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, hepatitis C, a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and aphasia. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or substantially contribute to his death, which was due to gastric varices and hepatitis C.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected seborrheic dermatitis and gastroesophageal reflux disorder with hiatal hernia and hepatitis C were granted. However, the claim for an increased evaluation of his residuals of left wrist injury and removal of ganglion cyst was denied.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis, including hepatitis-C. However, it is not established that his current diagnosis of hepatitis-C is related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD due to insufficient verification of the claimed in-service stressors. Service connection for hepatitis C is pending as there are no medically recognized risk factors provided by the veteran.

The Board has determined that additional medical records are needed to fully evaluate the veteran's death and its cause. The appellant is seeking service connection for the cause of her husband's death, but the appeal is currently in a remanded status due to outstanding medical records.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete notification and assistance, as well as the need for a VA examination to determine the etiology of the veteran's hepatitis C.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Hepatitis C, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim for Hepatitis C. For PTSD, the Board determined there was no credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor. For bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, the VA examination indicated these conditions were not related to service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.